All language subtitles for The Fidel Castro Tapes 720p HDTV EN Sub_Subtitles01.ENG

reporter: FIDEL CASTRO
COULD LEGITIMATELY BE REGARDED

AS EITHER A HERO OR AS A TYRANT
OR AS BOTH AT THE SAME TIME.

Narrator: IN 1959, FIDEL CASTRO
ROSE TO POWER IN CUBA.

Man: COMMANDER CASTRO, WHY
ARE YOU LEADING A REVOLUTION?

Narrator: HE HAS BEEN ONE OF
THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL FIGURES

IN THE WORLD EVER SINCE...

Narrator: A POLITICAL THORN IN
THE SIDE OF THE UNITED STATES.

James C. Hagerty: OUR SYMPATHY
GOES OUT TO THE PEOPLE OF CUBA

NOW SUFFERING
UNDER THE YOLK OF A DICTATOR.

Narrator: THIS IS CASTRO'S STORY
TOLD THROUGH MEDIA REPORTS...

Male announcer: FIDEL CASTRO,
"FACE THE NATION."

Narrator: RARE IMAGES...

AND RECORDINGS.

Male reporter: FIDEL CASTRO
BELIEVED THE CIA

HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN A SERIES
OF PLOTS ON HIS LIFE.

Narrator: SOME OF THIS MATERIAL
HAS NEVER BEEN BROADCAST.

SOME OF IT HAS NOT BEEN SEEN
IN DECADES.

Stuart Novins:
DR. CASTRO, YOU ARE A LAWYER,

AND I'M AFRAID I WILL
HAVE TO ACT AS A JUDGE.

WE'D LIKE YOU TO ANSWER
OUR QUESTIONS.

THERE ARE THEORIES
THAT YOU HELD

PRESIDENT KENNEDY
RESPONSIBLE

AND THAT YOU WERE INVOLVED
IN HIS ASSASSINATION.

DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING
TO DO WITH IT?

Male announcer: THIS PROGRAM
WAS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART

BY CONTRIBUTIONS
TO YOUR PBS STATIONS FROM...

Narrator: CUBA, THE LATE 1950s.

FOR TOURISTS, CUBA
IS AN EXOTIC LAND OF WONDER--

GAMBLING CASINOS, RESTAURANTS,
LUXURY HOTELS, SWIMMING POOLS,

AND MILES OF PRISTINE BEACHES.

[MAN SINGING IN SPANISH]

JUST 90 MILES
FROM THE UNITED STATES,

CUBA IS A PLAYGROUND
FOR AMERICANS...

BUT FOR MANY CUBANS,

LIFE ON THE ISLAND
IS NO PARADISE.

IN ISLAND'S INTERIOR,
FAR FROM WHERE TOURISTS STAY,

POVERTY RUNS RAMPANT.

THE EDUCATION AND
HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS ARE POOR.

LIVING CONDITIONS RIVAL THOSE
OF ANY THIRD-WORLD COUNTRY.

MUCH OF THE BLAME
FOR THE NATION'S VAST DICHOTOMY

BETWEEN RICH AND POOR CAN BE
LAID AT THE FEET OF ONE MAN--

CUBA'S PRESIDENT.

Male reporter:
FULGENCIO BATISTA--

FORMER ARMY SERGEANT,
FORMER GENERAL--

HOLDS THE REIGNS OF POWER
AS BACKED BY THE ARMY

AND BY THOSE WHO FAVOR
GOVERNMENT BY A STRONG MAN.

BATISTA DENIES HE IS A DICTATOR

AND SAYS SOME OF HIS OPPONENTS
ARE PRO-COMMUNIST,

BUT HIS STRONG-ARM METHODS AND
THE CONSTANT THREAT OF INFLATION

HAVE KEPT POLITICAL OPPOSITION
BUBBLING.

Narrator: IT'S ESTIMATED
BY HIS RIVALS

THAT DURING BATISTA'S REIGN,

MORE THAN 20,000 POLITICAL
DISSIDENTS HAVE BEEN KILLED.

THE MOUNTAINS OF EASTERN CUBA.

AFTER YEARS OF FIGHTING,

IT IS HERE THAT
THE RAGING OF REVOLUTION

THUNDERS THROUGH
THE JUNGLE CANOPY.

MEN AND WOMEN HAVE TAKEN UP ARMS

AND LAUNCHED
A BLOODY GUERILLA WAR.

TO THEM, BATISTA
HAS DESTROYED CUBA.

THEIR GOAL
IS TO OUST HIM FROM POWER.

THEIR LEADER
IS A CHARISMATIC CUBAN

WHO SAYS HE WILL
FIGHT TO THE DEATH

TO LIBERATE THE PEOPLE OF CUBA.

HIS NAME IS FIDEL CASTRO.

Male reporter:
THIS IS DR. FIDEL CASTRO, 31,

HOLDER OF 4 UNIVERSITY DEGREES.

WE FINALLY GET OUR NEWS CAMERAS
INTO CASTRO'S HEADQUARTERS.

Narrator:
CASTRO'S TOP LIEUTENANTS

ARE ARGENTINEAN-BORN
CHE GUEVARA...

[SPEAKING SPANISH]

Narrator: WHO PARTICIPATED

IN AN UNSUCCESSFUL REVOLUTION
IN GUATEMALA...

AND HIS BROTHER RAUL CASTRO,
AN AVOWED COMMUNIST.

[SPEAKING SPANISH]

Narrator: FIDEL CASTRO IS
THE SON OF A CUBAN SUGAR FARMER

AND COMES FROM AN UPPER
MIDDLE CLASS BACKGROUND.

HE IS ONE OF SEVEN CHILDREN.

EVEN AT A YOUNG AGE,
CASTRO IS BRASH,

OUTSPOKEN,
AND WILLING TO TAKE RISKS.

CASTRO ATTENDS
A JESUIT BOARDING SCHOOL

AND EARNS A LAW DEGREE
FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF HAVANA.

HE BECOMES EMBOLDENED
BY NATIONALISTIC PHILOSOPHIES.

IN 1952, CASTRO RUNS FOR
CONGRESS TO HELP IMPROVE CUBA,

BUT BEFORE ELECTIONS ARE HELD,

BATISTA TAKES POWER
IN A MILITARY COUP.

IN RESPONSE,

CASTRO GATHERS A GROUP OF
ANTI-BASTISTA REVOLUTIONARIES.

THEY PLAN AN ATTACK ON THE
MILITARY BARRACKS IN MONCADA.

CASTRO BELIEVES
BY TAKING THE BARRACKS,

THEY WILL ACQUIRE ENOUGH WEAPONS

TO BEGIN AN UPRISING
AGAINST BATISTA.

THE RAID TAKES PLACE AT DAWN
ON JULY 26, 1953.

CASTRO WILL USE THIS DATE,
JULY 26,

AS THE MONIKER
FOR HIS FUTURE REVOLUTION.

THE ATTACK IS QUICKLY PUT DOWN.

MANY OF THE REBELS ARE KILLED.

CASTRO AND DOZENS OF OTHERS
ARE CAPTURED.

AT HIS TRIAL,
CASTRO UTTERS A PHRASE

THAT WILL COME TO DEFINE HIM--

"HISTORY WILL ABSOLVE ME."

CASTRO IS SENTENCED
TO 15 YEARS IN PRISON.

TWO YEARS LATER, BATISTA BUCKLES
TO INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE

AND RELEASES POLITICAL
PRISONERS, INCLUDING CASTRO

AND THE OTHERS WHO ATTACKED
THE MONCADA BARRACKS.

IN 1958, THEY GATHER AGAIN
IN THE SIERRA MAESTRA MOUNTAINS

TO FIGHT BATISTA'S SOLDIERS.

SO WHAT DO YOU SEEK
TO ACCOMPLISH

IN COMING HERE,
AND WHAT DO YOU FEEL

THAT YOU ARE
ACCOMPLISHING

BY BEING HERE IN
THESE REMOTE MOUNTAINS?

Narrator:
CASTRO'S LEADERSHIP IS PRECISE.

HE STATIONS SCOUTS
THROUGHOUT THE MOUNTAINS.

THE REBELS ALWAYS KNOW WHERE
BATISTA'S SOLDIERS ARE,

AND THE SOLDIERS HAVE NO IDEA
WHERE CASTRO IS HIDING.

[EXPLOSIONS AND GUNFIRE]

Narrator: UP UNTIL THIS POINT,

THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT HAS
SUPPORTED THE BATISTA REGIME,

BUT WITH WORLD ATTENTION
NOW FOCUSED

ON BATISTA'S STRONG-ARMED RULE,

THE UNITED STATES
WITHDRAWS ITS SUPPORT.

IT WILL NOT BACK BATISTA
OR CASTRO'S REVOLUTIONARIES.

Male reporter: THE UNITED STATES
HAS EMBARGOED ARMS

FOR BOTH SIDES.

OCCASIONAL SHIPMENTS
ARE SMUGGLED THROUGH

FROM REBEL SYMPATHIZERS.

IT IS AN UNEQUAL BATTLE
OF IDEALISTS

AGAINST TOUGH,
PROFESSIONAL FORCES.

SAYS CASTRO, "IF I LOSE,
I'LL START OVER AGAIN.

IF BATISTA LOSES,
HE LOSES FOR GOOD."

CUBA'S STRONGMAN
SEEMS UNTROUBLED

BY CASTRO'S MOUNTING OFFENSIVE.

BEHIND BATISTA STAND
THE ARMY, THE POLICE,

AND, APPARENTLY,
CUBA'S LABOR UNIONS.

BATISTA SEEMED UPSET ABOUT
REPORTS IN THE AMERICAN PRESS

OF POLICE BRUTALITY
AND CORRUPTION

BUT CONFIDENT IN THE FACE
OF AN UNPREDICTABLE FUTURE.

Narrator:
AFTER MONTHS OF FIGHTING,

REVOLUTIONARY FORCES
WAGE A BATTLE FOR THREE DAYS

BEFORE MAKING A MOVE
INTO HAVANA.

THE FINAL HOLDOUTS
OF BATISTA'S SOLDIERS

ARE DRIVEN FROM THE CITY.

CASTRO'S RAGGED BAND
OF REVOLUTIONARIES,

EXHAUSTED FROM THREE YEARS
OF NONSTOP FIGHTING,

STORM THE CAPITAL.

THEIR STRUGGLE
TO REMOVE BATISTA FROM POWER

IS ABOUT TO COME TO AN END.

Herbert Kaplow:
NEW YEAR'S EVE IN HAVANA.

FIGHTING WAS REPORTED
IN LOS VILLAS PROVINCE

BETWEEN THE SOLDIERS
OF FULGENCIO BATISTA

AND REBEL UNITS.

A FEW HOURS LATER, 4 A.M.
HAVANA TIME NEW YEAR'S MORNING,

A PHONE CALL AND THE REPORT
FULGENCIO BATISTA

AND HIS COTERIE
HAD FLED IN SURRENDER.

Male reporter:
FROM HIS STRONGHOLD

IN THE WILD
SIERRA MAESTRA MOUNTAINS,

CUBA'S FIDEL CASTRO EMERGED
TRIUMPHANT AFTER TWO YEARS

OF GUERILLA WARFARE
AGAINST THE BATISTA REGIME.

A REVOLUTION THAT BEGAN
WITH CASTRO A FUGITIVE,

PRACTICALLY ALONE,
LANDING WITH 82 FOLLOWERS,

AND NEARLY WIPED OUT
BY GOVERNMENT FORCES

ENDED WITH THE FLIGHT
OF DICTATOR FULGENCIO BATISTA

AND THE ENTRY INTO HAVANA
OF REBEL FORCES

TO BE ACCLAIMED BY THE CITY.

IN HIS LIFETIME, THE BEARDED,
CIGAR-SMOKING IDEALIST

HAS BECOME A LEGEND.

FOR MOST CUBANS, THIS IS
THE FIRST GLIMPSE OF THE MAN

WHOSE NAME BECAME A BYWORD

DURING 25 MONTHS
OF GUERILLA FIGHTING.

IT'S A SIMPLE MATTER TO KNOW
WHEN A REVOLUTION HAS BEGUN.

IT'S NOT SO EASY TO KNOW WHEN
A REVOLUTION HAS ENDED.

THIS HAS BEEN, AND IS,
THE REVOLUTION OF FIDEL CASTRO.

Narrator: THE CUBAN PEOPLE
ADMIRE CASTRO

BECAUSE HIS RISE TO POWER IS NOT
FROM A MILITARY COUP D'ETAT,

BUT A POPULAR REVOLUTION.

CASTRO IS A DYNAMIC SPEAKER.

HE'S PERSUASIVE
AND FILLED WITH FIRE.

Male reporter: HE'S ABUNDANTLY
ENDOWED WITH THE HIGH CONFIDENCE

AND THE HUMILITY
OF A BIBLICAL PROPHET.

Male reporter: FIDEL CASTRO
WITH THE DOVES OF PEACE

SITTING ON HIS SHOULDERS
AS HE SURVEYS THE CROWD

THAT IS TONIGHT CELEBRATING
CUBA LIBRE.

Announcer: FIDEL CASTRO,

"FACE THE NATION."

IN THE EARLY HOURS
OF YESTERDAY MORNING,

THIS WAS THE SCENE IN THE STUDIO

OF TELEVISION STATION CMQ
IN HAVANA, CUBA.

Novins: DR. CASTRO, COULD YOU
TELL US WHAT YOUR OPINION IS

OF UNITED STATES POLICY DURING
THIS PERIOD OF YOUR REVOLUTION?

Novins:
THAT'S ALL WE WANT.

[LAUGHTER]

Narrator: DESPITE HIS CRITICISM,

CASTRO WANTS TO MAINTAIN
GOOD RELATIONS WITH THE U.S.,

BUT THAT DOES NOT STOP HIM

FROM ENACTING
BRUTAL REPRISALS AT HOME.

IN THE MONTHS FOLLOWING
CASTRO'S RISE TO POWER,

HUNDREDS OF BATISTA'S LOYALISTS
ARE PUT ON TRIAL,

SOMETIMES IN HAVANA'S
SPORTS PALACE.

Male reporter: BATISTA AIDE
MAJOR SOSA BLANCO,

CHARGED WITH 200 MURDERS,
FACES A MILITARY TRIBUNAL,

THREE JUDGES STILL WEARING

THE REVOLUTIONARY'S
JUNGLE BATTLE DRESS.

SAYS BLANCO OF THE CROWD,
"I AM IN A ROMAN COLISEUM."

45 WITNESSES COME FORWARD

TO TELL OF ACTS
OF BRUTALITY AND MURDER.

MEN, WOMEN,
AND CHILDREN TESTIFY.

THE DECISION IS DEATH.

Narrator: NEARLY 500 OF THEM
ARE FOUND GUILTY.

THEY ARE EXECUTED
BY FIRING SQUAD.

[GUNSHOTS]

SHORTLY AFTER THE EXECUTIONS,
NEARLY AILLION CUBANS SHOW UP

FOR A SPEECH BY CASTRO
TO DEFEND THE KILLINGS,

SAYING NO NATION STOOD UP
FOR HIS COUNTRY'S PEOPLE

DURING THE ATROCITIES
COMMITTED BY BATISTA.

Narrator: IN AN EFFORT
TO SWAY PUBLIC OPINION,

CASTRO BEGINS A TOUR OF NATIONS
IN SOUTH AND NORTH AMERICA

STARTING IN APRIL 1959.

HUGE CROWDS SHOW UP
TO SEE CASTRO,

WHO IS NOW A SYMBOL
OF REVOLUTION.

HIS REPUTATION SOARS
AS A POPULIST LEADER.

FIDEL CASTRO
ACCEPTS AN INVITATION

FROM THE AMERICAN SOCIETY
OF NEWSPAPER EDITORS

AND VISITS THE UNITED STATES,

EVEN THOUGH BATISTA LOYALISTS
IN AMERICA WANT HIM DEAD.

Announcer: A TUMULTUOUS WELCOME
FOR FIDEL CASTRO.

CHEERING, SINGING, FLAG-WAVING
CROWD OF THOUSAND

GREETS THE CUBAN REVOLUTIONARY
LEADER AND PREMIER

AS ON ARRIVAL, HE PUSHES PAST
POLICE AND SECURITY GUARDS

TO RETURN
THE ENTHUSIASTIC GREETING,

DESPITE RUMORS OF
ASSASSINATION PLOTS AGAINST HIM.

Narrator:
CASTRO IS HUGELY POPULAR

WITH THE AMERICAN PUBLIC.

ALONG WITH HIS IMMENSE CHARISMA,

HE IS SEEN AS AN ISLAND VERSION
OF ROBIN HOOD

WHO HAS BROUGHT FREEDOM
TO AN OPPRESSED PEOPLE.

DESPITE CASTRO'S POPULARITY
WITH THE AMERICAN PUBLIC,

THE GOVERNMENT IS WARY

OF THE CUBAN REVOLUTIONARY'S
COMMUNIST LEANINGS.

Announcer: OUTSIDE PENN STATION,
POLICE BREAK UP A DEMONSTRATION

BY A FEW SUPPORTERS OF CUBA'S
OUSTED DICTATOR BATISTA,

AND CASTRO, IN A RECORD SLOW
TIME OF 24 MINUTES,

CROSSES THE STREET TO HIS HOTEL

ALMOST SWAMPED
BY THE EXCITED CROWD.

IT'S ONE OF NEW YORK'S
MOST ENTHUSIASTIC RECEPTIONS

FOR A VISITING NOTABLE
IN QUITE A WHILE.

Narrator: THOUGH CASTRO
CONDEMNS THE U.S.

FOR SUPPLYING ARMS
TO THE BATISTA GOVERNMENT,

HE ATTEMPTS TO MAKE PEACE
WITH AMERICA.

Lawrence: OUR GUEST
LIKES RIFLES AND CIGARS.

AS A VERY YOUNG BOY, HE TOOK UP
A TYPICAL CUBAN SPORT--

THE BREEDING OF FIGHTING COCKS.

IT IS MY PLEASURE TO PRESENT YOU
DR. FIDEL CASTRO.

[APPLAUSE]

YOU HAVE SAID, SIR,
THAT DICTATORSHIP IS IMPOSSIBLE

IF PUBLIC OPINION APPROVES.

DID NOT HITLER, MUSSOLINI,
AND PERON HAVE PUBLIC SUPPORT?

Lawrence: MR. PRIME MINISTER,

WHAT IS YOUR IMPRESSION
OF VICE PRESIDENT NIXON?

[LAUGHTER]

Narrator:
NIXON HAS A DIFFERENT OPINION.

WHILE IN WASHINGTON,
U.S. PRESIDENT

DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER
AVOIDS MEETING WITH CASTRO.

INSTEAD, HE SENDS
VICE PRESIDENT NIXON

TO MEET WITH THE CUBAN LEADER.

NIXON'S OPINION OF CASTRO?

"HE NEEDS TO BE WATCHED
CAREFULLY."

Male reporter: YOU WON
A REVOLUTION BEFORE, SIR,

AGAINST GREAT ODDS.

NOW YOU'RE FIGHTING WHAT MIGHT
BE CALLED A SOCIAL REVOLUTION.

WILL THIS BE MORE DIFFICULT?

Narrator:
BECAUSE THE BATISTA GOVERNMENT

HAD LOOTED CUBA'S TREASURY,

THE LEADERS OF THE REVOLUTION
DISCOVER

THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY
TO RUN THE GOVERNMENT.

THOUGH THE U.S. PUBLIC
HAS EMBRACED CASTRO,

THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
DOESN'T TRUST HIM,

FEARING HE IS A COMMUNIST,

AND THOUGH HE INITIALLY
HAD SAID HIS COUNTRY

DID NOT NEED HELP
FROM THE UNITED STATES,

CASTRO REALIZES CUBA
CANNOT SURVIVE

IN ITS CURRENT CONDITION,

BUT THE U.S. REFUSES
TO GIVE CUBA ANY ADDITIONAL AID.

INSTEAD, CASTRO TURNS
TO THE SOVIET UNION FOR HELP,

FURTHER STOKING THE FIRES
OF THE COLD WAR

BETWEEN THE SOVIETS
AND THE UNITED STATES.

Male reporter: IN JANUARY 1960,
THE SOVIET DEPUTY PREMIER

ANASTAS MIKOYAN CAME TO HAVANA.

THE STAGE HAD BEEN SET FOR HIM.

MIKOYAN OPENED
A RUSSIAN TRADE FAIR.

HE DISCUSSED DEALS WITH CUBA.

BY THE TIME HE HAD PUT
THIS HAT ON HIS HEAD,

HE HAD THE CUBAN ECONOMY
IN HIS POCKET.

IN MOSCOW, AN AGREEMENT
WAS SIGNED

FOR THE EXCHANGE FOR SOVIET
MACHINERY AND TECHNICIANS

FOR CUBA'S SUGAR
AND OTHER BIG-MONEY CROPS.

Narrator:
U.S. PRESIDENT EISENHOWER

THREATENS TO CUT CUBAN SUGAR
QUOTAS TO THE UNITED STATES.

A THIRD OF THAT SUGAR

IS PRODUCED BY
AMERICAN-CONTROLLED COMPANIES.

THE SOVIET UNION
AGREES TO PURCHASE

ONE MILLION TONS
OF CUBAN SUGAR ANNUALLY.

Male reporter: FIDEL CASTRO,

IN A BITTER, ANTI-AMERICAN
SPEECH LAST NIGHT,

WARNED AGAINST THE UNITED STATES
CUTTING CUBAN SUGAR QUOTAS,

THREATENING TO TAKE OVER
AMERICAN-OWNED SUGAR MILLS,

BUT THE RULES COMMITTEE OF THE
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

TODAY CLEARED FOR FLOOR ACTION
A BILL TO GIVE THE PRESIDENT

THE AUTHORITY HE WANTS
TO REDUCE THE MARKETING

OF CUBAN SUGAR IN THIS COUNTRY.

Narrator: AFTER A MONTHS-LONG
POWER STRUGGLE,

EISENHOWER BANS
ALL SUGAR IMPORTS FROM CUBA.

IN RESPONSE, CASTRO SEIZES ALL
U.S. COMPANIES IN HIS COUNTRY.

Tom St. John Barry:
SUGAR BY THE TRAINLOAD,

THE MAIN CROP AND THE MAIN BONE
OF CONTENTION WITH THE USA.

MANY COMMUNIST BLOC COUNTRIES
HAVE PROMISED

TO TAKE CUBAN SUGAR IN EXCHANGE
FOR THE THINGS CASTRO NEEDS.

IT LOOKED EASY.

SO I THOUGHT I'D CUT A CANE
OR TWO FOR CASTRO MYSELF.

YOU HOLD THAT
JUST LIKE THAT, JUST THERE.

LET ME HAVE
A SWING AT THIS.

CUT IT THAT WAY?

YES, THAT WAY.

OOH, MADE IT IN ONE.

CAN I HAVE THAT
FOR A MOMENT?

YOU KNOW, THIS COULD
COST ME MY AMERICAN VISA.

[BELL RINGING]

Narrator: AFTER MONTHS OF CASTRO
SEIZING AMERICAN BUSINESSES,

THE UNITED STATES ENACTS
A TRADE EMBARGO AGAINST CUBA.

THAT EMBARGO STILL EXISTS TODAY.

THERE'S A LIMIT TO WHAT
THE UNITED STATES

IN SELF-RESPECT CAN ENDURE.

THAT LIMIT HAS NOW BEEN REACHED.

OUR SYMPATHY GOES OUT
TO THE PEOPLE OF CUBA

NOW SUFFERING
UNDER THE YOLK OF A DICTATOR.

Narrator: SECRETLY,
THE UNITED STATES

LOOKS FOR A WAY
TO REMOVE CASTRO FROM POWER,

BUT THE U.S. DOES NOT WANT
ITS OWN TROOPS INVADING CUBA.

INSTEAD, PRESIDENT JOHN KENNEDY

AGREES TO HAVE U.S. MILITARY
ADVISORS TRAIN CUBAN EXILES,

THEIR GOAL--
TO INVADE CUBA AT A SMALL COVE

ON THE ISLAND'S SOUTH SIDE
CALLED THE BAY OF PIGS

AND REMOVE CASTRO FROM POWER.

Announcer: THIS IS AN NBC
SPECIAL NEWS REPORT.

CUBA TONIGHT
IS AN ISLAND IN REVOLT.

AGAINST THE REVOLUTIONARY FORCES
OF PRIME MINISTER FIDEL CASTRO,

ANOTHER REVOLT HAS BEGUN,
AND CASTRO'S STRANGE

AND WILD CAREER
MAY BE APPROACHING AN END.

IT IS ADVISABLE TO SAY "MAY BE"
BECAUSE EVERYTHING WILL DEPEND

ON WHETHER THE PEOPLE OF CUBA
AND THE ARMY

ARE LOYAL TO CASTRO.

Male reporter:
DAWN, MONDAY, APRIL 17,

BAY OF PIGS, CUBA.

THE FIRST UNITS OF THE BRIGADE

REACH THE BEACH
WITHOUT OPPOSITION.

AMONG THEM
IS HUMBERTO DIAZ ARGUILLES

OF THE SECOND BATTALION,
8th COMPANY.

Arguilles: A SOLDIER
FROM THE REAR YELLED,

"WE ARE AN ARMY OF LIBERATION.

WE CAME TO FIGHT COMMUNISM."

THE MILITIAMAN ANSWERED,

"FATHERLAND OR DEATH.
LONG LIVE FIDEL CASTRO,"

AND THE SHOOTING BEGAN.

Male reporter:
THE ASSAULT HAS BEGUN

ON THE DICTATORSHIP
OF FIDEL CASTRO.

LANDINGS WERE EFFECTED BY REBELS
AT SEVERAL PLACES

ON THE CUBAN COAST,
AND THE REBELLION

AGAINST THE RED-SKINNED
DICTATOR WAS ON.

Narrator: THE INVADING TROOPS
RECEIVE NO SUPPORT

FROM THE PEOPLE OF CUBA,
DOOMING HOPES

THAT THE EXILES CAN WIN
THROUGH A POPULAR UPRISING.

MORE THAN 1,400 CUBAN EXILE
SOLDIERS INVADE THE ISLAND.

DOZENS OF THEM ARE KILLED,
AND THE REST ARE TAKEN PRISONER.

Male reporter: AT 3:45 P.M.,

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19,
RESISTANCE ENDS.

IN LESS THAN 72 HOURS,

CASTRO HAS DESTROYED
THE BRIGADE.

THE AMERICAN-PLANNED,
FINANCED, TRAINED,

AND BACKED INVASION OF CUBA
IS NOW A TOTAL FAILURE.

Narrator: FOR MANY CUBANS,

CASTRO'S REVOLUTION
IS WRONG FROM THE START,

BUT MOST ARE AFRAID
TO SPEAK OUT,

FEARING THEY WILL BE
ARRESTED OR KILLED.

GOOD EVENING.

EACH WEEK, ALMOST 2,000 CUBANS

FIND THEY HAVE HAD ENOUGH
OF CASTRO.

SO THEY GET OUT
AND COME TO MIAMI, FLORIDA.

THE CUBANS GENERALLY
ADVOCATE A RETURN HOME

BY MILITARY INVASION
WITH AMERICAN HELP,

BUT THERE IS NO EVIDENCE
OF ANY PLAN TO TRY THAT AGAIN.

SO WHILE THEY WAIT FOR SOMETHING
TO HAPPEN, THEY JUST WAIT.

Manola Reyes: THEY WANT TO STAY
HERE TO HELP IN ANY MOMENT

WITH A GUN, WITH A RIFLE
TO FIGHT AGAINST FIDEL CASTRO.

Narrator: AND IT'S
THOSE REFUGEES

THAT GIVE THE UNITED STATES NEWS
THAT CASTRO HAS MADE A DEAL

WITH PREMIER NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV
OF THE SOVIET UNION.

THE EXILES SAY THE SOVIETS

ARE BRINGING MORE
THAN ECONOMIC AID TO CUBA.

THEY ARE BRINGING WEAPONS.

Ken Brown:
JUST A FEW MOMENTS AGO,

WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY
PIERRE SALINGER

INDICATED THAT
MR. KENNEDY'S REMARKS

WILL CONCERN A MATTER
OF THE HIGHEST NATIONAL URGENCY.

WE DO KNOW ALSO
THAT THE PRESIDENT

HAS BEEN MEETING WITH
HIGH OFFICIALS OF THE GOVERNMENT

THROUGHOUT THIS DAY
IN AN ATMOSPHERE OF NEAR CRISIS.

OK. NOW WE'RE READY.

HERE FROM HIS OFFICE
IN THE WHITE HOUSE,

THE PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES.

Kennedy: THIS GOVERNMENT,
AS PROMISED,

HAS MAINTAINED
THE CLOSEST SURVEILLANCE

OF THE SOVIET MILITARY BUILD-UP
ON THE ISLAND OF CUBA.

WITHIN THE PAST WEEK,
UNMISTAKABLE EVIDENCE

HAS ESTABLISHED THE FACT
THAT A SERIES

OF OFFENSIVE MISSILE SITES
IS NOW IN PREPARATION

ON THAT IMPRISONED ISLAND.

THE PURPOSE OF THESE BASES CAN
BE NONE OTHER THAN TO PROVIDE

A NUCLEAR STRIKE CAPABILITY
AGAINST THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE.

I CALL UPON CHAIRMAN KHRUSHCHEV
TO HALT AND ELIMINATE

THIS CLANDESTINE, RECKLESS,

AND PROVOCATIVE THREAT
TO WORLD PEACE.

Narrator: IN RESPONSE,
THE UNITED STATES

BEGINS A NAVAL BLOCKADE
OF THE ISLAND

STOPPING AND SEARCHING
ALL SHIPS BOUND FOR CUBA.

Richard Valeriani:
HAVANA RADIO SAID TONIGHT

THAT CUBA'S ARMED FORCES
HAVE BEEN PUT

ON AN IMMEDIATE 24-HOUR ALERT

FOLLOWING
PRESIDENT KENNEDY'S SPEECH.

THIS IS HIS FIRST
PUBLIC REACTION

TO THE AMERICAN ARMS BLOCKADE,
AND CASTRO IS BITTERLY ANGRY.

HE SAID THE UNITED STATES
UNDERTOOK THE BLOCKADE

BECAUSE ALL ITS OTHER EFFORTS

TO DESTROY THE CUBAN REVOLUTION
HAVE FAILED.

[CASTRO SPEAKING SPANISH]

[APPLAUSE]

THE HOPES OF MANKIND
ARE CONCENTRATED IN THIS ROOM.

THE ACTION WE TAKE MAY DETERMINE
THE FUTURE OF CIVILIZATION.

Robert McNamara: I HAVE TAKEN
THE NECESSARY STEPS

TO DEPLOY OUR FORCES
TO BE IN A POSITION

TO MAKE EFFECTIVE
THE QUARANTINE

AT 2 P.M. TOMORROW
GREENWICH TIME.

Narrator: OVER THE NEXT WEEK,

KENNEDY AND KHRUSHCHEV
SEND LETTERS BACK AND FORTH,

EACH DEMANDING THE OTHER
BACK DOWN.

THE TURNING POINT IN THE CRISIS
COMES ON OCTOBER 27.

PRESIDENT KENNEDY
AGREES NOT TO INVADE CUBA

AND PROPOSES TO PULL
U.S. MISSILES OUT OF TURKEY

IF KHRUSHCHEV REMOVES
HIS MISSILES FROM CUBA.

A DAY LATER,
KHRUSHCHEV ACCEPTS THE OFFER

WITHOUT CONSULTING CASTRO.

CASTRO IS FURIOUS THAT HE
IS CUT OUT OF THE CONVERSATION.

WE WILL NOT, OF COURSE,
ABANDON THE POLITICAL, ECONOMIC,

AND OTHER EFRTS
OF THIS HEMISPHERE

TO HALT SUBVERSION FROM CUBA
NOR OUR PURPOSE AND HOPE

THAT THE CUBAN PEOPLE
SHALL SOMEDAY BE TRULY FREE.

Narrator: DESPITE
KENNEDY'S DECLARATION

THAT CASTRO MUST
MAKE HIS PEOPLE "TRULY FREE,"

YEARS PASS WITH NO CHANGE.

Male reporter: CUBA IS SEPARATED
FROM THE UNITED STATES

BY 90 MILES OF OCEAN
AND 15 YEARS OF HISTORY.

GEOGRAPHICALLY NEAR,

CUBA IDEOLOGICALLY FORMS
PART OF ANOTHER WORLD.

FIDEL CASTRO
IS ITS ONE FAMILIAR FIGURE.

DYNAMIC, ELOQUENT,
AUTHORITARIAN,

HE'S A MAN WHO COULD
LEGITIMATELY BE REGARDED

AS EITHER A HERO OR AS A TYRANT
OR AS BOTH AT THE SAME TIME.

Tom Streithorst:
IT HAS BEEN TWO YEARS

SINCE OUR LAST VISIT TO CUBA.

WHAT WE FOUND NEW

WERE A MARGINAL INCREASE
IN THE LIVING STANDARD

WITH SIGNS THAT THIS
MIGHT GET BETTER STILL,

A GROWING RELIANCE
ON THE SOVIET UNION

AS A MODEL
IN ALL THINGS ECONOMIC.

WHAT WE DIDN'T FIND
WERE ANY INDICATION

OF A RELAXATION IDEOLOGICALLY.

THIS REGIME IS BASED
ON MASS MOBILIZATION

AND THOUGHT CONTROL.

OUTSIDE THE FRAMEWORK
OF MARXISM-LENINISM,

FREEDOM OF THOUGHT
JUST DOESN'T EXIST.

IT'S AN UNWANTED RELIC
OF THE PAST.

WHAT WOULD YOU
LIKE AMERICANS

TO KNOW ABOUT YOU
AND CUBA,

AND COULD YOU POSSIBLY
SAY IT IN ENGLISH

SO THEY COULD
UNDERSTAND?

IN ENGLISH?

I AM NOT WELL
IN ENGLISH.

WELL, THEN
IN SPANISH.

GOOD WISH FOR THE PEOPLE
TO THE UNITED STATES.

GOOD WISHES.

WISH OF UNDERSTANDING.

WISH OF FRIENDSHIP.

I UNDERSTAND
IT IS NOT EASY

BECAUSE WE BELONG
TO TWO DIFFERENT WORLDS.

WE ARE NEIGHBORS,

AND IN ONE WAY
OR ANOTHER,

WE OUGHT TO LIVE
IN PEACE,

UNITED STATES AND CUBA.

Narrator: THOUGH CASTRO
IS FIRMLY ENTRENCHED

AS CUBA'S LEADER,
NEWS OF CONTINUING EFFORTS

BY THE UNITED STATES TO DO AWAY
WITH HIM BECOMES PUBLIC.

SENATOR GEORGE McGOVERN,
WHO RECENTLY VISITED CUBA,

TOLD A NEWS CONFERENCE TODAY
THAT FIDEL CASTRO BELIEVED

THE CIA HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN
A SERIES OF PLOTS ON HIS LIFE.

Female reporter:
OVER A PERIOD OF SEVERAL YEARS

IN THE EARLY SIXTIES,
CONGRESSIONAL INVESTIGATORS

DETERMINED
THAT THERE WERE AT LEAST

8 CIA-LED ATTEMPTS
TO KILL FIDEL CASTRO.

Narrator: WHEN CASTRO
ROSE TO POWER,

TWO OF THE PROMISES HE MADE
WERE TO IMPROVE

THE NATION'S EDUCATION
AND HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS.

HIS REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT HAS
CREATED 10,000 NEW CLASSROOMS,

AND THE SCHOOLS ARE BETTER
THAN BEFORE CASTRO TOOK POWER,

AND DESPITE A LACK OF SUPPLIES,
CUBA'S DOCTORS

ARE SOME OF THE BEST-TRAINED
IN THE WORLD.

AND FINALLY THIS EVENING,
WHAT WE MIGHT CALL MEDICUBA,

THE STORY OF WHAT HAPPENED TO AN
INTREPID CORRESPONDENT OF OURS,

FRED FRANCIS, WHEN HE WENT TO
CUBA TO COVER A POLITICAL EVENT

AND ENDED UP WITH
A MEDICAL EVENT OF HIS OWN.

Francis: CALIXTO GARCIA
HOSPITAL IN HAVANA

HAS ONE OF THE BUSIEST EMERGENCY
ROOMS IN THIS HEMISPHERE.

IT HANDLES MORE THAN
700 PATIENTS A DAY.

ONLY A HANDFUL
OF AMERICAN HOSPITALS,

LIKE BELLEVIEW IN NEW YORK
AND COOK COUNTY IN CHICAGO,

CARE FOR THAT MANY PATIENTS
EACH DAY,

AND THE QUALITY OF CARE HERE
IS VERY GOOD.

IT IS ALSO FREE OF CHARGE.

ALL HEALTH CARE FOR CUBA'S
9.5 MILLION PEOPLE IS FREE.

I HAD TO BE RUSHED TO
THE EMERGENCY ROOM ONE MORNING.

I WAS SUFFERING WITH
SEVERE BURNING ABDOMINAL PAIN

IN MY LEFT SIDE.

I WAS IN THE HOSPITAL TWO DAYS,
AND I COULD SEE EVIDENCE

OF THE AMERICAN
ECONOMIC BLOCKADE EVERYWHERE.

MUCH OF THE EQUIPMENT WAS OLD.

THIS X-RAY MACHINE,
USED IN A UROGRAM TEST

TO LOCATE MY KIDNEY STONES,
WAS RUSTED.

THERE IS ALSO SHORTAGE
OF BASIC HOSPITAL TOOLS

LIKE NEEDLES, SYRINGES,
AND EVEN BED PANS.

I RECEIVED GOOD CARE
AND GOOD DRUGS,

IN FACT, AMERICAN DRUGS.

MEDICINES FROM THE UNITED STATES
COST A LOT MORE HERE

BECAUSE CUBA MUST GET THEM
THROUGH CANADA AND MEXICO

TO CIRCUMVENT THE BLOCKADE.

Narrator: CASTRO
MAKES A POINT OF SENDING

HIS WELL-TRAINED DOCTORS
TO LEFT-LEANING ALLIED NATIONS

THROUGHOUT THE WORLD,

BUT IT'S NOT JUST DOCTORS
CASTRO EXPORTS.

IT'S SOLDIERS
AND WEAPONS OF WAR.

CASTRO BEGINS TAKING HIS
HARDWARE OF REVOLUTION OVERSEAS.

Narrator: CASTRO
STAYS TRUE TO HIS WORD.

HE SENDS CUBAN TROOPS TO ASSIST
A GROUP OF REVOLUTIONARIES

FIGHTING FOR CONTROL OF ANGOLA.

THEY ARE CALLED THE MPLA.

Male reporter: BY THE MOST
AUTHORITATIVE ESTIMATES,

CUBA SENT 18,000 TROOPS
TO ANGOLA.

THIS ARMY LOOKS WELL-EQUIPPED,
HAS NEW RUSSIAN WEAPONS,

AMPHIBIOUS TANKS, AND
MODERN SAM MISSILE LAUNCHERS.

Narrator: THE ANGOLA CIVIL WAR
BEGINS IN 1975

AFTER ANGOLA GAINS
ITS INDEPENDENCE FROM PORTUGAL.

THE FIGHT BETWEEN
TWO OPPOSING REBEL GROUPS

BECOMES A LIGHTNING ROD
OF THE COLD WAR.

THE UNITED STATES
AND SOUTH AFRICA

BACK THE REBEL GROUP

CALLED THE NATIONAL
LIBERATION FRONT OF ANGOLA.

THE SOVIET UNION AND CUBA SEND
TROOPS AND SUPPLIES TO THE MPLA.

CASTRO'S MOVE TO BECOME
INVOLVED IN THE WAR

ENRAGES THE U.S. GOVERNMENT,

WHICH FEELS CASTRO IS EXPORTING
HIS BRAND OF COMMUNISM.

CASTRO SAYS SENDING CUBAN TROOPS
TO HELP THE MPLA,

WHICH ALIGNS ITSELF
WITH CASTRO'S SOCIALIST BELIEFS,

IS HIS DUTY AS A REVOLUTIONARY.

Narrator: IN THE LATE 1970s,

SOME SAY HIS TOUGHNESS
BEGINS TO SOFTEN.

Robin Lloyd: CUBA'S FIDEL CASTRO
HAS OFTEN BEEN DESCRIBED

AS A MAN TOO AMBITIOUS
FOR TOO SMALL A COUNTRY,

A REVOLUTIONARY,
NOT A STATESMAN,

A MAN MANY LATIN AMERICAN
LEADERS FEARED,

BUT NOW SOME POLITICAL ANALYSTS
SAY AN OLDER,

MORE MODERATE CASTRO MAY BE
TRYING TO CHANGE THAT IMAGE.

Narrator: IN 1980, AS A WAY
OF RELIEVING POLITICAL UNREST,

CASTRO ALLOWS CUBANS
WHO WISH TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY

TO DO JUST THAT.

CUBA'S ECONOMY IS SUFFERING.

TENSIONS ARE RUNNING HIGH.

WEARY OF CASTRO'S ECONOMIC
AND POLITICAL REPRESSION,

TENS OF THOUSANDS OF CUBANS
FLEE TO THE UNITED STATES.

THIS ACTION IS CALLED
THE MARIEL BOATLIFT.

Lloyd: SOME TWO MILES
OFF THE COAST OF CUBA,

THIS IS WHAT YOU SEE--

A SINGLE-FILE PROCESSION
OF BOATS

EXTENDING FOR MILES ON THEIR WAY
TO THE PORT OF MARIEL.

Male reporter:
THE CUBAN PORT OF MARIEL

IS JAMMED WITH SHIPS
OF ALL SIZES.

AT LATEST COUNT,
1,300 BOATS HAVE ARRIVED HERE.

Male reporter:
THESE ARE THE PEOPLE

THAT THE CASTRO GOVERNMENT
HAS CALLED

WORMS, BUMS, PROSTITUTES,
AND PARASITES.

WHAT THEY DO SEEM TO BE
IS A VERY HAPPY PEOPLE,

HAPPY TO BE LEAVING THE COUNTRY
OF THEIR BIRTH

FOR A NEW START
IN THE UNITED STATES.

[CASTRO SPEAKING SPANISH]

[CROWD CHEERING]

rrator: WITHIN MONTHS,

125,000 CUBANS HAVE EMIGRATED
THE UNITED STATES.

THE BOATLIFT HAS BECOME A
POLITICAL NIGHTMARE IN THE U.S.,

WITH MANY AMERICANS BURNED OUT

FROM THE NONSTOP ARRIVAL
OF CASTRO'S CUBANS.

MANY BELIEVE CASTRO
IS EMPTYING HIS JAILS

AND SENDING CRIMINALS
TO FLORIDA.

AT THE END OF OCTOBER 1980,

CASTRO CLOSES THE PORT OF MARIEL
TO BOATS FROM AMERICA.

IN TURN, THE UNITED STATES
GOVERNMENT BANS THE ARRIVAL

OF ANY MORE IMMIGRANTS
FROM CUBA.

THE END OF THE BOATLIFT COMES
FIVE DAYS BEFORE RONALD REAGAN

IS ELECTED PRESIDENT
OF THE UNID STATES.

DURING HIS PRESIDENCY,
THE TOUGH-TALKING REAGAN

DOES NOT MINCE WORDS
WHEN IT COMES TO FIDEL CASTRO.

OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS,
FIDEL CASTRO

HAS BEEN MAKING
ANTI-AMERICAN SPEECHES

AND STAGING ANTI-AMERICAN
RALLIES

AS HE CELEBRATES
25 YEARS IN POWER.

LAST NIGHT, IT WAS
PRESIDENT REAGAN'S TURN

TO MARK THE ANNIVERSARY
OF THE CUBAN REVOLUTION.

Reagan: THE MOST IMPORTANT
QUESTION REMAINS,

WHERE IS CUBA HEADING?

CUBA'S ECONOMY IS INCAPABLE
OF PROVIDING YOU

AND YOUR FAMILIES
YOUR MOST ELEMENTARY NEEDS,

DESPITE MASSIVE SUBSIDIES
FROM ABROAD,

BUT YOUR LEADERS TELL YOU,
"DON'T COMPLAIN.

"DON'T EXPECT IMPROVEMENT.

JUST BE READY
FOR MORE SACRIFICE,"

BUT WHY ARE YOUR LEADERS
SO UNWILLING

TO LET YOU HEAR
WHAT OTHERS THINK AND SAY?

IF THE POWER OF TRUTH
IS ON THEIR SIDE,

WHY SHOULD THEY NEED TO CENSOR
ANYONE'S VIEWS?

YOUR SYSTEM, WHICH
YOU SAY WORKS VERY WELL,

IT DOES PRESUPPOSE
THAT THE LEADERSHIP

OF THE COUNTRY,
YOU, ARE ALWAYS RIGHT,

THAT YOU ARE
INFALLIBLE.

IS THAT NOT SO?

Interpreter: NO.
IT DOES NOT PRESUPPOSE THAT.

YOU WILL NOT SEE
A STATUE OF ME ANYWHERE

NOR A SCHOOL WITH MY NAME

NOR A STREET

NOR A LITTLE TOWN

NOR ANY TYPE
OF PERSONALITY CULT.

WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HONEST.

WE HAVE ALWAYS
TOLD THEM THE TRUTH.

THESE PEOPLE KNOW
THAT FROM THE GOVERNMENT,

A LIE HAS NEVER BEEN
TOLD TO THEM,

AND I ASK YOU TO GO
TO THE WORLD, TOUR THE WORLD,

AND GO TO THE UNITED STATES
AND ASK IF THEY CAN SAY

WHAT I CAN SAY, THAT I HAVE
NEVER TOLD A LIE TO THE PEOPLE.

BUT WHAT IF THEY
DO DISAGREE

WITH THE REVOLUTION
AND THEY'RE CUBAN?

WHY CAN'T THEY STAY HERE
AND VOICE THEIR OPINION?

Interpreter: WE ACCEPT THEIR
POSITION WITHIN THE REVOLUTION,

NOT AGAINST THE REVOLUTION.

NO ONE FORCES THEM TO STAY.

Narrator:
MARIA SHRIVER IS THE NIECE

OF FORMER PRESIDENT
JOHN F. KENNEDY,

AND SHE HAS A SPECIAL INTEREST
IN QUESTIONING CASTRO.

Shriver:
BACK IN THE EARLY SIXTIES,

THERE WERE REPORTS

OF MANY ASSASSINATION
PLOTS AGAINST YOU.

THERE ARE THEORIES
THAT YOU KNEW

ABOUT THESE
ASSASSINATION PLOTS,

THAT YOU HELD
PRESIDENT KENNEDY RESPONSIBLE,

AND THAT YOU, IN TURN,

WERE INVOLVED
IN HIS ASSASSINATION.

[INTERPRETER
SPEAKING SPANISH]

DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING
TO DO WITH IT?

Interpreter:
I CAN'T ANSWER THAT QUESTION.

I DON'T ACCEPT THAT.
NO, NO.

I CANNOT ACCEPT
SUCH A CHARGE.

TO PLAN AN ACTION AGAINST THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES

IS SOMETHING
IRRESPONSIBLE, MAD,

BECAUSE I SAW IN KENNEDY
AN ADVERSARY,

AN INTELLIGENT,
A CAPABLE ONE.

THE DAY WHEN KENNEDY
WAS MURDERED,

I FELT SOMETHING EMPTY.

ACTUALLY, IT HURT ME,
I MUST TELL YOU VERY HONESTLY,

BECAUSE I THOUGHT
IT WAS AN UNFAIR DEATH.

Narrator:
THROUGHOUT THE LATE 1980s,

CASTRO CONTINUES TO HAMMER AWAY
AT THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT,

SAYING, DESPITE
THE U.S. EMBARGO,

HIS REVOLUTION
IS ALIVE AND WELL IN CUBA.

Dennis Murphy: IN HIS SPEECH,
CASTRO TOLD A HUGE AUDIENCE

THAT THE AMERICAN EMBARGO
OF CUBA HAD CAUSED HARDSHIP

BUT WAS ULTIMATELY GOOD
BECAUSE IT DEMANDED

THAT CUBANS BECOME SELF-RELIANT,

BUT SELF-RELIANT
IS NOT SELF-SUFFICIENT.

Narrator: AS CASTRO
APPROACHES THE END

OF THREE DECADES OF RULE,

HIS ISLAND NATION REMAINS
STRAPPED BY THE U.S. EMBARGO,

AND THERE'S NO END IN SIGHT.

ON DECEMBER 26, 1991,

THE BOTTOM DROPS OUT
ON CASTRO'S CUBA.

THE SOVIET UNION COLLAPSES.

A MAJOR PERCENTAGE
OF THE CUBAN ECONOMY

IS BASED ON TRADE OR AID
FROM THE SOVIETS.

WITHOUT THAT INFLUX OF CASH,

CASTRO MUST NOW LEAD HIS PEOPLE

THROUGH ONE OF THE NATION'S
DARKEST TIMES.

MANY BECOME DESPERATE
AND RISK THEIR LIVES IN RAFTS

TO ESCAPE CASTRO'S CUBA.

CASTRO CALLS THIS
THE SPECIAL PERIOD.

[APPLAUSE]

Narrator: DESPITE
THE MASSIVE ECONOMIC STRUGGLES

GOING ON INSIDE CUBA,
OUTSIDE OF HIS COUNTRY,

CASTRO MAINTAINS THE PERCEPTION
OF BEING A WORLD LEADER.

IN 1995, HE TRAVELS TO NEW YORK

FOR THE 50th ANNIVERSARY
OF THE UNITED NATIONS.

Mike Wallace:
I INTERVIEWED YOU FIRST IN 1960

WHEN YOU WERE HERE,
MR. PRESIDENT,

AND WHAT HAPPENED?

WHAT HAPPENED TO DEMOCRACY?
WHAT HAPPENED TO FREE ELECTIONS?

[CASTRO SPEAKING
SPANISH]

WE DISCOVERED
OTHER FORMULAS OF DEMOCRACY.

WE DISCOVERED DIFFERENT FORMULA,
A MORE HONEST FORMULA

TO HAVE THE PEOPLE
PARTICIPATE.

WE DISCOVERED THAT IT WAS
BETTER THAN THE AMERICANS'.

Narrator: AS HE HAS DONE BEFORE,
CASTRO IS ABLE

TO USE HIS CHARISMA TO WIN OVER
EVEN HIS HARSHEST CRITICS...

Translator:
A DIFFERENT STYLE, YOU KNOW?

[SPEAKS SPANISH]

[LAUGHTER]

Narrator: BUT THERE IS NO
SOFTENING OF POLITICAL RELATIONS

BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES
AND CASTRO.

A CUBAN MILITARY JET SHOOTS DOWN
TWO CIVILIAN AIRPLANES

JUST ONE YEAR
AFTER HIS VISIT TO NEW YORK.

CASTRO CLAIMS THE AIRPLANES
VIOLATED CUBAN AIRSPACE.

THE PLANES ARE FROM
THE UNITED STATES.

AT THE CONTROLS OF THE AIRCRAFT
ARE FOUR PILOTS

FROM AN ORGANIZATION CALLED
BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE.

THE GROUP GIVES ASSISTANCE
TO CUBANS

FLEEING THEIR COUNTRY BY BOAT.

ALL FOUR OF THE PILOTS
ARE KILLED.

Male reporter;
JUST FOUR DAYS AFTER CUBA

SHOT THE TWO U.S. CIVILIAN
PLANES OUT OF THE SKY,

CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT
CAME TO TERMS

ON THE NEW STEPS AGAINST CUBA.

THE BILL AIMS TO ECONOMICALLY
STRANGLE CASTRO

BY DISCOURAGING
ALL FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN CUBA.

Bill Clinton: IT WILL SEND
A POWERFUL, UNIFIED MESSAGE

FROM T UNITED STATES TO HAVANA
THAT THE YEARNING

OF THE CUBAN PEOPLE FOR FREEDOM
MUST NOT BE DENIED.

Narrator: THE ADDITIONAL
SANCTIONS AGAINST CUBA

INCLUDE THE RIGHT OF
THE UNITED STATES TO HALT TRADE

WITH ANY NON-U.S. COMPANY
THAT DOES BUSINESS WITH CUBA,

FORCING COMPANIES TO CHOOSE--

DO BUSINESS WITH CASTRO

OR DO BUSINESS
WITH THE UNITED STATES.

THREE YEARS LATER, THE BATTLE
BETWEEN CASTRO AND THE U.S.

EVOLVES INTO AN UNEXPECTED
WAR OF WORDS,

THIS TIME, IN A CUSTODY BATTLE

OVER A SIX-YEAR-OLD REFUGEE
NAMED ELIAN GONZALEZ.

Pat Neal: THE BOY WAS FOUND
FLOATING IN AN INNER TUBE

OFF THE COAST
OF FORT LAUDERDALE.

FRIDAY, THE BODIES OF TWO WOMEN
WERE FOUND OFF FORT PIERCE

AND JUPITER, FLORIDA,
INCLUDING THE BOY'S MOTHER.

Male reporter: SIX-YEAR-OLD
ELIAN GONZALEZ

NOW POSES AN INTERNATIONAL
CUSTODY DILEMMA.

HERE HE IS PLAYING
WITH COUSINS IN MIAMI

FOLLOWING THE EMIGRATION
AND NATURALIZATION SERVICES

PRONOUNCEMENT THAT HE CAN STAY
IN THE UNITED STATES LEGALLY

WITH HIS AUNT AND UNCLE.

THE BOY'S BIOLOGICAL FATHER
LIVES IN CARDENAS, CUBA,

AND SAID ON CUBAN TELEVISION
OVER THE WEEKEND

HE WANTS ELIAN RETURNED TO HIM.

HIS RELATIVES IN MIAMI
DO NOT PLAN TO COMPLY.

[CHANTING]

Susan Candiotti: THE BOY REMAINS
A POSTER CHILD FOR CUBAN EXILES.

THEY'VE MADE HIM
A MYTHICAL FIGURE

AND A SYMBOL OF DEFIANCE
AGAINST A COMMUNIST REGIME.

[APPLAUSE]

FIDEL CASTRO HAS ALSO
MADE THE BOY A SYMBOL,

CRITICIZING THE U.S.,
AS HE SAYS IT,

FOR "COW-TOWING
TO THE CUBAN-EXILE MAFIA."

Male reporter: FEDERAL AGENTS
ARRIVE 130 STRONG

UNDER THE COVER OF DARKNESS
SHORTLY AFTER 5 A.M.

[MEN SHOUTING]

THE SIX-YEAR-OLD WAS FOUND
IN A BEDROOM CLOSET

WITH ONE OF THE FISHERMAN
WHO HAD RESCUED THE BOY

OFF THE COAST OF FLORIDA
LAST NOVEMBER.

IT IS TIME FOR THIS LITTLE BOY,

WHO HAS BEEN THROUGH
SO VERY MUCH,

TO MOVE ON WITH LIFE
AT HIS FATHER'S SIDE.

Narrator: WHEN GEORGE W. BUSH
BECOMES PRESIDENT IN 2001

AFTER A CONTESTED ELECTION
WITH AL GORE,

CASTRO WASTES NO TIME
IN CRITICIZING AMERICA

FOR THE MANNER OF HIS ELECTION.

CASTRO SAYS ELECTIONS
IN HIS COUNTRY

ARE FREE FROM THAT KIND
OF SCANDAL.

Translator: HE WAS NOT ELECTED.

HE WAS APPOINTED PRESIDENT
OF THE UNITED STATES.

OUR ELECTIONS ARE 10 TIMES
CLEANER THAN THE ELECTIONS

LIKE THOSE IN WHICH
HE WAS ELECTED.

HOW CAN ANYONE TALK
ABOUT FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION...

[SPEAKING SPANISH]

Translator:
WHEN A PRESIDENT NEEDS...

$1.5 BILLION IN ADVERTISING

TO SELL AN IMAGE OF HIMSELF?

TODAY THERE IS ONLY ONE NATION
IN OUR HEMISPHERE

THAT IS NOT A DEMOCRACY,
ONLY ONE.

Narrator:
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH

CALLS FOR FREE ELECTIONS IN CUBA

AS A WAY TO EASE
THE UNITED STATES EMBARGO.

THERE'S ONLY ONE NATIONAL LEADER
WHOSE POSITION OF POWER

OWES MORE TO BULLETS
THAN BALLOTS.

FIDEL CASTRO HAS A CHANCE
TO ESCAPE THIS LONELY

AND STAGNANT ISOLATION.

IF HE ACCEPTS OUR OFFER,
HE CAN BRING HELP TO HIS PEOPLE

AND HOPE TO OUR RELATIONS,

AND THE CHOICE RESTS
WITH MR. CASTRO.

Narrator: CASTRO SAYS
THE EMBARGO IS BASED

SOLELY ON POLITICS
IN THE UNITED STATES

AND MOST AMERICANS
WANT IT ENDED,

BUT HE FEARS LIFTING THE EMBARGO

WOULD CREATE A DIFFERENT KIND
OF DISASTER FOR HIS COUNTRY.

[SPEAKING SPANISH]

Interpreter: LET ME KNOW
IN ADVANCE SO I CAN MOVE AWAY

BECAUSE AN INVASION
OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS

OF AMERICAN CITIZENS IS ENOUGH
TO MAKE US MOVE AWAY.

Narrator: IN JULY 2006,

CASTRO UNDERGOES SURGERY
FOR INTESTINAL BLEEDING.

CUBANS ARE NOTIFIED
OF CASTRO'S ILLNESS

IN AN ANNOUNCEMENT MADE
BY CASTRO'S SECRETARY

CARLOS VALENCIAGA,

WHO READS A LETTER
WRITTEN BY CASTRO.

Narrator: TWO YEARS LATER
IN 2008,

CASTRO OFFICIALLY STEPS DOWN,

HANDING OVER HIS COUNTRY'S
PRESIDENCY

TO HIS BROTHER RAUL.

Man: RAUL CASTRO RUIZ.

[APPLAUSE]

Narrator: U.S. PRESIDENT
GEORGE BUSH

IS IN RWANDA
WHEN HE HEARS THE NEWS.

SO I VIEW THIS
AS A PERIOD OF TRANSITION,

AND IT SHOULD BE THE BEGINNING
OF THE DEMOCRATIC TRANSITION

FOR THE PEOPLE IN CUBA.

Narrator: DESPITE
PRESIDENT BUSH'S HOPE

FOR A DEMOCRATIC CUBA,

AS CASTRO'S BROTHER RAUL
TAKES CONTROL OF THE COUNTRY,

HE VOWS TO KEEP FIDEL'S VISION
FOR CUBA ALIVE AND WELL.

THE NATION
WILL REMAIN COMMUNIST.

RAUL CASTRO HAS SAID,

"THE REVOLUTION HAS GONE ON
FOR 50 YEARS,

AND IT WILL CONTINUE
FOR 50 MORE."

FOR THOSE WHO BELIEVE
IN CASTRO'S REVOLUTION,

HE WILL ALWAYS BE
THE FATHER OF THE NATION.

HIS FIGHT IN
THE SIERRA MAESTRA MOUNTAINS

IS THE STUFF OF CUBAN LEGEND.

Narrator: THE CHARISMA
AND COMPLEXITY HE SHOWED

FROM HIS EARLIEST DAYS OF POWER
NEVER FALTERED.

Narrator: AT EVERY TURN
THROUGH FIVE DECADES,

CASTRO DEFIED THE UNITED STATES.

Bush: DESPITE ALL HIS TOOLS
OF OPPRESSION,

FIDEL CASTRO WILL NEED
TO ANSWER TO HIS PEOPLE.

Male announcer: THIS PROGRAM
WAS MADE POSSIBLE IN PARTT

BY CONTRIBUTIONS
TO YOUR PBS STATIONS FROM...